Steamboat.



J. RIST.

- STBAMBOAT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. ll 19.09.

1,011,372. I Patented De@.12,1911.

SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J'asep jas @wegilA PLANOCIHAPH L il J. RIST.

,STEAMBOA'I APPLICATION FILED 51112121, 1909.

a SHEETS-'SHEET s.

lhllllilllllhllh COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM C0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

Patented Dec. 12,1911. y

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JOSEPH RIS-T, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, ONE-HALF TO LORENZO GANDOLFO, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND ONE- I-IALF T0 JOHN T. BAKER, OF MEXICO, MISSOURI.

STEAMBOAT.

Application filed September 1, 1909.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BIST, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful 4Improvements in Steamboats, of which the following is a specification, containing a full, clear, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in steam boats, 'the primary object of my invention being to construct a sectional steam boat, there being independent power sections and independent passenger and freight sections.

A further object of my invention is to construct a novel means fo-r connecting the main decks of the various sections so as to maintain the decks in approximately the same horizontal plane.

A further object of this invention is to construct a novel construction of means between the independent sections adjacent the bottoms thereof to prevent the catching of floating objects between the sections, and further to provide a novel construction of means to prevent floating objects from entering the spaces between the sections from the sides thereof, which means may be utilized as rudders for the independent sections.

A further object of this invention is to construct a novel means whereby the driving shafts of the power sections may be altii tudinally adjusted relative to the dip Aofthe paddles desired.

For the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a complete steam boat made up of my improved independent sections, there being in this instance a bow or pilot section, a stern section, both of which are power sections, there being an intermediate power section and intermediate passenger and freight sections between the power sections; Fig. 2 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1 except that one of the intermediate passenger and freight sections and the intermediate power section are removed; Fig. 3 is a plan showing a portion of a power section partly in section and a por- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 12,y 1911. Serial No. 515,675.

tion of a passenger and freight section and the novel means for connecting the sections; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of portions of two main decks showing a coupler for uniting the decks; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionalelevation of a portion of two main deck sections illustrating the foot bridge, the means for maintaining the decks in approximately horizontal planes and the means for spanning the spaces between the sections adjacent the bottom' thereof to prevent floating objects from entering said spaces; Fig. 6 is an end elevation of one of the sections, the uprights supporting the upper decks being broken away and illustrates the posit-ion of the deck couplers relative to the foot bridge, the rudders for the independent sections and a jaw which co-acts with the deck-leveling bar; Fig. 7 is an elevation illustrating the position of the parts which prevent floating objects from entering the spaces between two boat sections, the members on the sides of the boats being utilized as rudders: Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional elevation of the means for elevating or lowering the paddle wheels relative to the dip desired; and, Fig. 9 is an elevation of the shaft-raising and lowering means with a portion of the driving shaft therein.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 1 designatesthe bow or pilot section. 2 designates the stern section, each of which are power sections. 3v designates the intermediate power section and 4 designatespassenger and freight sections.

Each of the sections is provided with a cabin 5 and on the bow or pilot section is a pilot house 6 and as illustrated in Fig. 1 the boat is made up of five independent sections, a pilot section, which is a power section, a stern section, which is a power section, the intermediate power sections and two freight and passenger sections.

Each section is provided at its rear end with a pair of couplers 7 which are preferablv in the form of a link` which are hinged adjacent therear end of each section by the hinges 8, each link is provided with an eye 9 at its free end which is arranged to embrace a tapering vertically disposed stud 10 which is preferably formed integral with a plate 11, which plate is secured by screws or other suitable means to the main deck, adjacent its forward end.

Each section is provided, adjacent its rear end, with a foot bridge 12 which is hinged to the main deck section by the hinge members 13.

The forward end of each section is provided with a deck-leveling bar 14 which is rigidly secured to the deck section against altitudinal movement. In the opposite boat section is a pocket 15, the open end of which enlarges outwardly, the bar 14C and pocket 15 serving to maintain the decks of two con nected boat sections in approximately the same horizontal plane, no matter what the load of each section may be.

To prevent floating objects or snags from entering the spaces between the body sections, I have provided the plate 16 which is secured adjacent the rear end of each boat section and held in a substantially horizontal plane against the forward end of the adjoining boat section.

To prevent floating objects or snags from entering the ends of the spaces between the boat sections, I have provided the plates 17, the forward ends of which are secured to the vertical shafts Y18 which are hung from the main decks and the upper end of the shaft is provided with a hand lever 19. These plates may be utilized as rudders to steer the independent sections.

Each of the power sections is provided with a motor 20 and a driving shaft 21 and adjacent each end of the shaft is a paddle wheel 22 which operates in the wheel housings 23.

To provide for the dip of the paddles, I have arranged adjacent each end of the shaft the standards 24 and carried by the standards is a pair of threaded shafts 25 which are embraced by the bearing 26. The lower end of each shaft 25 is provided with a bevel gear wheel 27 and meshing with each wheel 27 is a bevel gear wheel 28 supported on a horizontally disposed shaft 29 and at the end of the shaft 29 is a hand wheel 30. By rotation of the wheel 30 the bearing 26 may be raised or lowered to the dip of the paddles desired.

In practical use each of the sections may be utilized for passengers and freight in a manner similar to a train of cars, the passengers or freight on one section may occupy one of the sections and when the desired destination is reached the entire section may be left at that point and the remaining sections united to form a complete steam boat.

While I have shown but five sections forming my steam boat it is obvious that any number may be employed.

I claim:

In a sectional steamboat, the combination with means for detachably coupling sections of the boat and means for holding the decks of the two sections in substantially the same horizontal plane, of a plate hingedly secured to one of the sections and arranged to extend to the opposite section, a vertically disposed shaft at each' side of the section carrying said plate and a plate carried by each shaft, the first mentioned plate and the last mentioned plates adapted to close the space between the boat sections to prevent floating objects from entering therebetween, and hand levers on each of said shafts whereby said shafts and the plates carried thereby may be operated as rudders.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH RIST.

Witnesses:

HERVEY T. Cnis'r, E. E. LONGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

